CHOP Urologists Travel to Trinidad and Tobago

For the past two years, Christopher J. Long, MD, and Dana A. Weiss, MD, attending pediatric urologists in the Division of Urology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), along with colleagues and team members, have traveled to Trinidad and Tobago on a urological mission trip. The goal of this trip is to operate on patients with a variety of pediatric urologic issues, including undescended testes and hypospadias.

Given the complicated nature of the procedures, our CHOP team pairs with the local surgery team at San Fernando Hospital in Trinidad and Tobago in order to help educate and transmit important knowledge to improve the surgical outcomes for these boys. An exciting element of this collaboration that sets this mission trip apart from past trips is that the CHOP team is able to receive updates on patients who undergo surgery, and are able to follow their progress until they return the following year.

In 2018, the team did five adult (male urethroplasties) and five pediatric (hypospadias) cases. In 2019, the team performed seven adult (male/female urethroplasties, female incontinence/prolapse procedures) recon cases and seven pediatric (hypospadias) cases. In addition, they lead multiple discussions/lectures and clinics over the course of three-plus days.